Well…the kids out-played, out-lasted and won. We finally gave in and got a puppy. After thinking of every possible excuse and managing to put it off for at least 5 years we knew the battle was over. We now welcome a new member of our family who is adorable to say the least, but is sure to cause some mischief! If Emme’s Feline Goddess is any indication, I am in for a real treat.
Here’s how we managed to stall the kids for so long-and how they were ultimately victorious:
1st We told them we could not ever have a dog because some of our family members have allergies.
This lasted for at least a year until they became more outgoing and confident to talk to other people on outings. Like any kids, they love to pet dogs at the park. When they started making conversation they would ask dog owners what kind of dogs they had. One day someone said they had a hypoallergenic dog. “What does that mean?” they asked, “It means this dog is good for people who have allergies.”, the owner replied, thus lighting up our kids’ eyes and moving us onto our second strategy.
2nd We made it clear that hypoallergenic dogs cost a lot of money and it wasn’t something we could afford.
Over the course of the next two years the kids saved all the money they got for birthdays and holidays. My husband and I just thought they hadn’t found anything they wanted to buy yet and were perhaps saving up for an X-Box or something like that. Imagine our surprise when they came to us and said they had saved $1000.00! When they asked us where they could go to buy the dog and how soon could we do it, we had to think fast.
3rd We were renting our house and told them the owner did not allow pets in her house.
This made them angry, but they understood and went to get guinnea pigs instead. Needless to say, the squirmy poop-a-lot pigs did not fulfill their need. We then became the family who would take other people’s dogs for walks and pet-sit if they went out of town. Our kids would disappear at house parties and we would find them sitting with the dogs. We bought them an ultimate care guide book about dogs and told them they would have to read the whole thing. Sticking true to their quest, they did everything asked and behaved very responsibly.
Their big win came when we told them we were moving. The very first words they both screamed were “NOW…we get the dog!” Believe it or not, we still managed to hold them off a while by explaining that we needed to be completely settled in our new house with all of the unpacking done. After what must have felt like a very torturous 5 years for the kids, they arrived home one evening to see their new best friend sitting at the door with a big doggy smile. A grand victory indeed!
OK, she is pretty cute!
